Nightlight

by jcn 


		    Nightlight 

		      ------

		copyright 1997 by jcn,

		reproduced with permission :)

		december 11, 1997



part i.

-------



SETTING:	The back row of the sun lab.

		The clock on the computer screen

		says that it is 2:50am, but to the

		occupants of this room, time has

		ceased to have any meaning.

 

AT RISE:	Many bleary eyed students are

		sitting and standing.  A student

		talks to his TA. Coke and Mountain

		Dew bottles are scattered along

		the back table. Everyone is

		pretending to work. Nobody is.


                     JESSE is sitting at the end of the row, headphones

                     on, CD player spinning.  He's listening to Pippin.   

                     He needed a break from the Ministry that was on

                     earlier.  He's been working on this program since 

                     Friday, and has not really slept more that a couple

                     of hours a night.  He is tired and he has been here

                     all night.  This program was due 

                     project that was due last week.  He has just sent

                     off an email to his professor asking, nay, begging

                     for an extension after the fact.



                     He takes off his headphones and listens in on some

                     of the conversations that are going on around him.





                     JON

How long were you up during cs32?



                     MY LAN

79.

          

                     FROSH 1 

                (incredulously)

79 hours?!

 

                     FROSH 2

Since we're cs, we're not expected to be normal anyway.  

People are like "Oh, you're cs anyway."

 

                (NATE walks in, with another 

                conspiracy theory)



                     NATE 

                (in a hushed voice)

I think that girl thinks I was hitting on her.



                     JESSE

What did you do?



                     NATE

I scanned in her paper for her.



                     JESSE

Nate.  You're gay.

 

                (NATE leaves.  

                SAM and SETH enter)



                     SAM

How relative was vietnam?



                     JESSE

My Dad was in vietnam.



                     MY LAN 

                (leans over from two nodes over)

Mine wasn't.  He ran away to the coast guard where he drank lots of

scotch.



                     SETH

                (turns to JESSE)

And it's been passed down to the next generation... 



                (SETH gets up to leave.  DANAH is by the door,

                about to leave.)



                     NATE

Danah!  Stop grabbing me!



                     DANAH

Oh Nate, I want you!



                (JESSE sighs.  He really can't take much more of this.

                He puts his head phones back on.  This time, it's

                the Murmurs.  Chick rock and all that.  Good stuff.  He

                really doesn't have time to be here.  But he has to

                finish off his program before he goes home to tackle the

                10 page paper that was due last week.  He is not looking

                forward to the next few days.



                He looks at the clock.  It is now 3:45am.)



                     JESSE

Shit.







part ii.

--------





SETTING:    The back row of the sun lab.  The clock on the computer screen

                     says that it is 7:04am, but to the occupants of this

                     room, time has ceased to have any meaning.



AT RISE:    The lab is considerably emptier.  A debate that has been

                     raging for the last 4 hours is coming to an end.

                     Discussion about the future, computers, the internet,

                     thinking big and the people who are going to do it.

                     The only noise in the lab now is the sound of the air

                     getting pumped in, and the sounds of the keyboards

                     clacking.

    

                     JESSE is sitting at the end of the row.  His cd

                     player sits in front of him.  Music isn't going to

                     help any more.



                     He is still awake.



                     TIM

                (mumbling to himself.)

Where am I?  Am i in block alloc or what?





                (SAM enters.)



                     SAM

So, wanna go to Dunkin's?



                (JESSE looks at him and shakes his head no.)



                     JESSE

No, sorry.  I'm going home.



                     SAM

You know you're going to rot in hell for that?



                (SAM exits.



                JESSE takes one last look around him and realizes 

                that he has wasted his evening.  With a heavy heart

                packs up his cd player and cds, puts on his coat and

                backpack and walks out of the lab.)



                    JESSE 

Good night Samantha... err, morning.



                    SAMANTHA

Later Jesse.



                    JESSE

Fuck.



                (JESSE sighs.)